basics, maintenance & cleaning. The DVD can also be purchased in our
shop if you purchased a carder second hand or previous to the DVD being
available.
Using a Drum
Carder.
Spinners have always been impatient with carding and fiber preparation. In days past,
children were often given this job. Or if a spinner lived near a mill and could afford its
services, she would have the carding done there. Likewise, many of today's spinners bypass
carding almost entirely, by spinning mostly roving or sliver - two mill preparations originally
devised for mechanical spinning.
When spinners rely on drum carders in an attempt to streamline fiber preparation, it is
important that they learn how to use these tools well. Certain basic methods and techniques
can greatly increase the efficiency and effectiveness of a drum carder - while others waste
time and increase the amount of work.
Getting Ready to Card
A drum carder works best if you feed it a small amount of fiber at a time - or, better yet, thin
layers of fiber. If you attempt to feed a carder too much fiber at once, you may jam the
machine, bend its teeth and/or tear the fibers. With wool and other fairly long fibers, this
means that it's usually a good idea to start by fluffing up the fibers to eliminate thick clusters.
Many spinners use a picker in this time-consuming but important process, while others open
the clusters of fiber by hand.
The First Round
For best results, I suggest first teasing the fibers with a wool picker or hand cards prior to carding with
the drum carder. Because the main objects of teasing is to prevent damage to the fiber and the card
clothing, to promote a smoother end product, and to make carding easier.
Another method if you would rather let the drum carder do the teasing. here's how to tease without
working yourself into a lather.
Instead of feeding unteased fibers through the feeding chute - where jams often occur - lay
them directly onto the main drum from the top, where you can see what is happening at
every moment. Grasp a small handful of fiber or a couple of good-sized locks. Hold them
firmly, and allow a few fibers to begin catching in the teeth as you turn the drum. Let the
fibers be pulled gradually from your hand, being careful to keep your knuckles away from the
teeth. (The fibers will not feed in gradually if the wool has been abused in washing, and has
become tangled or felted so that it is hard to pull apart.) It's all right if a small cluster escapes
your hand, but if a large one gets away, stop the machine, back it up (if necessary), and
redistribute the fibers. After a few of these episodes, you will learn how large a fiber cluster your
carder can handle. When the drum is full, it is unable to process additional fiber.
How much is too much? Each type of carder can efficiently handle a different amount of fiber.
The capacity depends on the drum size and the length of the teeth. However, you can see
